Alazwar

The really interesting thing about Alazwar is what happens when the ground dries out. On fast, firm going, this horse wins 1 in every 3 races—a 30 per cent win rate—compared to its overall 16 per cent across all conditions. That is a meaningful edge. Alazwar is also at its best over the longer distances, showing a 33 per cent win rate at races between one mile and six furlongs and two miles, which plays to its strengths. Trainer Archie Watson, based at Upper Lambourn, has clearly worked out what suits this horse, and the approach is paying dividends.

Recent form tells you Alazwar is still capable of finding the winner's circle. It won at Lingfield Park just this week, on 1 September, and had also won two of its last six races before that, including a second-place finish most recently. The horse races mostly in Class 5 company, where it has won 4 of 19 races, and it gets the job done often enough to remain a useful proposition in that grade. Jockey Brodie Hampson, who has ridden Alazwar twenty-seven times, has partnered it to two wins—not a sparkling record together, but the rider knows the horse inside out. At this stage of its career, Alazwar is still earning, still racing, and still winning. That is worth something.